Über diese Veranstaltung

The workshop for 8-11year olds teaches children about astronomy in a fun and engaging way, through presentation, storytelling and drama in this Science Week 2018 event

Beginning with a talk about Space, Niamh will share details of her mission to a Mars habitat, her trip to Russia to see a rocket launch and her zero gravity flight. She will talk about the scale of the Universe and our part it in and the importance of DREAMING BIG!

This creative drama workshop inspires the students to know that they can be anything they want to be.

Inspired by Niamh’s life-long dream to go to Space, participating students will be asked to ‘Dream Big’ and imagine what it is they want to be when they grow up. We have an opportunity to embed in children at an early age, that they are the masters of their own destiny and have the capacity to achieve their dreams.

Learning outcomes will include an understanding of gravity, distance and time.

Curricular Links…

The drama workshops will explore many aspects of the drama curriculum as well as the English curriculum including: examining the relationship between story, theme and life experience; using insights arising out of dramatic action to draw conclusions about life and people; receptiveness to language; competence and confidence in using language; emotional and imaginative development through language; reflection on drama; and listening and responding.

In addition, all of these workshops support teachers and children in learning and exploring across the new national priority of STEM as the content draws on areas of the Science, Math and Geography Curricula in particular. Children will be guided to use observation, investigation, measuring and learning about atoms, frequencies, our solar system and our place in space. Through this process they will also develop specific STEM related vocabulary alongside imaginative language development and ability to apply STEM learning in creative ways.

About Niamh

Dr Niamh Shaw is an Irish engineer, scientist, performer and explorer of all things Space. She talks about science & space on Irish radio & TV, and makes public events and theatre shows to ignite peoples curiosity- especially those people who think that science isn’t for them. She is actively pursuing her dream to get to space as artist and performer and has been sharing her global space adventures and expeditions since 2014. In this regard, she participated in a zero gravity flight at Star City in Moscow, has visited Baikonur Cosmodrome (most recently for the launch of European Space Agency Astronaut, Alexander Gerst) and is an experienced analogue astronaut with over 20 EVA hrs from her simulated Mars mission at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station in the high Utah desert.

Recently voted one of Ireland’s leading science communicators and STEAM specialists (merging science, technology, engineering, arts and maths), her contribution to science and its application to Irish life was acknowledged by Uachtaráin na hÉireann, President Michael D. Higgins at his annual St Patricks Day reception in 2017 in Áras an Uachtaráin. She champions Women in STEM in all her projects and works with the Lottie Doll Company to promote young girls and boys in STEM, bringing ‘Stargazer Lottie’ on all her space adventures. She works with CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory to deliver science and space-based workshops across Ireland in schools and at family festivals to ignite a love of STEM at a young age.

She is artist in residence at CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory Cork, was the Humanities co-chair at this summer’s 2018 International Space Studies Programme & the Dublin point of contact for Ireland’s national Space week. She writes for BBC’s monthly Sky at Night astronomy magazine, and has spoken recently at Inspirefest and New Scientist Live . In November, she speaks at Wired Live , and NASA Johnson Space Centre about the cross-disciplinary nature of her work exploring space.